ABSTRACT
Marine algae and cyanobacteria are bountiful sources of bioactive molecules with various applications. Their surfactant properties are rarely discovered besides the extensive research on secondary metabolites from these sustainable resources; nevertheless, producing surfactant-like molecules made them a possible new source of biosurfactants. Biosurfactants and bioemulsifiers are amphipathic molecules with diverse bioactivities produced abundantly from microorganisms and have proved advantageous owing to their lower toxicity and biodegradability compared to synthetic counterparts. This chapter aims to overview biosurfactants and bioemulsifiers from marine algae and cyanobacteria. The chapter represents knowledge of surfactants and emulsifiers from marine photosynthetic organisms and their applications in various fields. The case studies on biosurfactants from marine cyanobacteria suggest the necessity of future research in this relatively less explored area.
